One Bowl Fudgy Peppermint Brownies
These One-bowl Fudgy Peppermint Brownies are the ultimate Christmas-flavored treat! These brownies are simple to make, and like the name suggests, only require one mixing bowl! The thick, chocolatey brownie batter is packed with real melted chocolate and infused with peppermint extract, giving it that classic mint-chocolate flavor! The baked peppermint brownies are ooey-gooey, and melt-in-your-mouth tender! Topped with a dark chocolate ganache and crushed candy canes!
Cake Brownies vs Fudgy Brownies
There are two types of people in this world, cake-brownie people and fudgy-brownie people! Cake brownies have, well, a texture very similar to cake! They are drier and fluffier, with more bounce in their texture. Fudgy brownies, on the other hand, are dense in texture and have a melt-in-your-mouth kind of fudge-like texture! The main difference between the two is the amount of flour and fat in the batter. Cake brownies have a lower amount of fat and a higher amount of flour, giving them that cake-like texture. Fudgy brownies have a very high concentration of fat (via butter and eggs usually) and a lower amount of flour. As well, cake brownies also use the creaming method or chemical leaveners to achieve their fluffy texture, while fudgy brownies, like this One Bowl Fudgy Peppermint Brownies recipe, do not have any need for either of these.
How to Properly Melt Chocolate
This recipe for One Bowl Fudgy Peppermint Brownies utilizes melted chocolate in the brownie batter. Melting chocolate, while relatively straight-forward, has a low-threshold for any mistakes and can become an absolute disaster quite quickly! First of all, chocolate absolutely hates moisture (water) of any kind! The introduction of water into chocolate will cause the chocolate to seize up and thicken, becoming unusable. The introduction of moisture can happen in many different ways, including the steam from your bain marie, water on a freshly washed cooking utensil, etc. The other way chocolate can be finicky is that it also hates too much heat. Overheat or heating chocolate too quickly will cause the chocolate to seize as well. This is the reason why you melted chocolate in a bain marie, rather than heating it with direct heat.
So as mentioned above, the proper way to melt chocolate is to finely chop it, place it into a heat-proof metal or glass bowl, over top of a simmering pot of water. You do not want the water to be boiling, because steam and excess heat can ruin your chocolate. As well, the bowl should be a tight fit over the pot of water, to reduce the amount of steam escaping. You’ll want to keep stirring the chocolate until it is completely melted, but this process should take 1 to 2 minutes, depending on how much chocolate you’re melting.
How to Make the Peppermint Brownies
1.Melt Chocolate: Place chopped chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and place over top of a pot of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Combine sugar and eggs: In a large mixing bowl, add both sugars, eggs, salt, vanilla, and melted butter. Lightly beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy looking.
3. Add chocolate: Pour in the slightly cooled melted chocolate, then whisk the mixture again until it is smooth.
4. Sift in flour and cocoa: Add flour and cocoa to a sifter placed over the mixing bowl and then sift in these dry ingredients. Grab a rubber spatula and fold the dry ingredients into the batter until well-combined!
5. Bake: Pour the One Bowl Fudgy Peppermint Brownies batter into a 9×9” baking pan, then place into the oven to bake for around 40 minutes!
6. Garnish: Allow the One Bowl Fudgy Peppermint Brownies to cool completely, then top with melted chocolate and crushed candy canes!
When are they Done?
When making fudgy brownies, such as these One Bowl Fudgy Peppermint Brownies, it is important to not overcook the brownies. In fact, you’ll want to take the Peppermint Brownies out of the oven before the centers seem finished. Yes, that’s right, when done, the centers will actually seem a little undercooked and have an ever-so-slight jiggle to them, similar to when making pumpkin pie! Don’t fret though, because the brownies will continue to cook as they cool in the pan, solidifying the middle into it’s perfect fudgy-glory!
Get the Recipe: One-Bowl Fudgy Peppermint Brownies
Ingredients
Peppermint Brownies
- 10 oz (280g) Semi Sweet Chocolate,, finely chopped
- 2 cups White Sugar
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 5 Large Eggs
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter,, melted
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Peppermint Extract
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 cup (120g) All Purpose Flour,, measured correctly†
- 1/2 cup (50g) Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- 6 oz (170g) Semi Sweet Chocolate,, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 tbsp Corn Syrup
- 4-5 Candy Canes,, crushed up
Equipment
- 9×9" Square Baking Pan
Instructions
Peppermint Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×9” baking pan with cooking spray and parchment.
- Add chopped chocolate to a heatproof bowl and place over of a pot of simmering water, ensuring the bowl fits tightly over the pot of water and that the bottom does not touch the water. Heat, while stirring with a rubber spatula, until all the chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool until just warm (but still very liquid).
- In a large mixing bowl, add white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs. Whisk together by hand for about 1 minute. The mixture should look creamy and well-combined. Next, pour in the butter, salt, peppermint extract, vanilla, and melted chocolate. Whisk together until well-combined.
- Place flour and cocoa powder into a sieve and sift them into the batter. Fold the sifted flour/cocoa into the batter with a rubber spatula, until the batter is smooth, well-combined, and thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out, then tap a few times on the counter and place into the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes. When done, the brownies will seem slightly under-baked in the centre, but they will continue to set as they cool. Allow to cool before glazing.
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- Place chopped chocolate into a medium size mixing bowl, then set aside.
- Place heavy cream and butter into a medium pot over medium heat. Heat until the mixture just begins to come to a low boil. Remove from heat and pour over top of the chopped chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 minute, then whisk together until all the chocolate has melted and the ganache is very smooth. Finally, add in the corn syrup, then whisk until combined.
- Pour over top of the cooled brownies, and smooth out to the corners. Top with crushed candy canes.
These were awesome! Very very very fudgy indeed,
Taste is great but the recipe did not work as even with 15 minutes more of cooking time the middle was not set at all. I bake every weekend and never miss a recipe so I think some tu ont is off with quantités or suggested size of pan.
Hmm I’m sorry that this happened! I’ve made and tested these brownies several times and they always work out for me! The centre is supposed to be jiggly when it is done baking and then it sets and forms up while it cools from the residual heat